1933

Franz Leo Niehoff founds a coffee-roasting business in Gronau with an adjoining colonial goods store.

1945

Sons Franz, Willi, Leo and Fritz take over the business.

1949

Franz Niehoff Snr. and his wife Else carry on the business and now concentrate mainly on specialities.

1978

Along with mother Else, Franz Niehoff Jnr. takes over running the roastery after his father’s death.

Until the mid-1980s

Roasting is done on a Probat drum roaster in small batches of around 60kg. The sales operation is almost exclusively on a local basis.

1983

Delivery of the first organic coffee to Lebensbaum

1985

First contract roasting for GEPA; start of joint organic coffee purchasing for Lebensbaum products

1988/89

Relocation of the roastery to the current site; modernisation of the technical equipment and first use of the Gothot Rapido Nova 1000 roaster (roasting capacity: 140kg)

1992

Expansion by building a new warehouse (600 m²)

1996

Expansion by building a further warehouse (520 m²)

2000

Adjoining land and building purchased for expansion of administration and production facilities

2001

Construction of a connecting structure between the two buildings incorporating 24 fully automated ground coffee silo cells (capacity: 24t);
significant increase in production capacity through new packing machines and modern control technology

2002

Addition of a new raw coffee warehouse (640 m²)

2003

Conversion and remodelling of the administrative area

2006

Installation of new staff rooms

2010

Construction of a raw coffee silo tower with 64-tonne storage capacity, split into 34 cells inclusive of pre-cleaning systems

2010/11

The business is taken over by AUWA Holding GmbH of Diepholz. Thomas Busjan, for many years the roastery’s Prokurist (authorised officer), becomes managing director.
First use of two new packing machines

2012/13

Remodelling and expansion of the roasting hall and installation of the new RFB 200 roaster (roasting capacity: 220kg) with new roasted coffee storage cells and a new conveyor belt system for transporting the coffee

2014

First use of a new finished products warehouse (760 m²)

2015

Modernisation of the laboratory area